Books / DVD

>> As of 9/20/23 my friends at the Schacht Spindle Company will be the provider of the print versions of my four books and my one DVD video. From now on I will only be selling the digital copies of some of my books and my one video from this page. Weaving for Beginners:An Illustrated … Read more

My New Warp

Here is my new warp–sewing thread–for some art pieces. More ruffles, probably. You can see the 10 spools that I used on my warping reel with a heck block. Otherwise, for 10 spools you would definitely need to use a paddle (which is a good idea). See my book, Winding a Warp & Using a … Read more

Good Reasons to Use Ashenhurst’s 80% Figure

This is taken from my new book, Weaving for Beginners, on page 280. The information is also found in my Book #1, Winding a Warp and Using a Paddle. See the chapters devoted to sett (epi). Make your weaving easier: Use the 80% number (Ashenhurst’s percentage) In industry, a balanced looking fabric is actually a … Read more

Tying On New Warps Question

Here’s a question I received yesterday. “I want to tie on a new warp for some scarves. However, I want to change the sett from 18 epi to 16 epi. Is it possible to do this?If so, how? I also would like to make it an inch narrower. Do I just not tie on the … Read more

What’s On My Loom

I’m still experimenting with sheer this time with a warp of sewing thread instead of the fine silk. The weft is the lovely gold silk that took me a month to spool off from the skein. It is stiff because it is undegummed. That helps keep the beat open and there are variations in the … Read more

How Warps and Wefts Bend: An Important Concept

The principles of how warps and wefts bend are valuable to understanding a lot about weaving–especially why cloth draws in and causes selvedge threads to break. The principles apply for so many aspects–for example, for weaving balanced or near balanced fabric, the warp tension must not be too tight. That would prevent the warps from … Read more

A Sampler vs Samples

One reader suggested I talk a bit about sampling. How much to make, wasting “good” yarn, when and why, etc. etc.You can save yourself a lot of heart ache if you make a sample before weaving something and find out that it shrinks too much, or “doesn’t turn out.” You might make a sampler or … Read more

Think about Ashenhurst’s Rule

I use Ashenhurst’s rule to take the mystery out of sett (warp or weft-wise). Check this out in my Book #1, Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle” and also in my new book, “Weaving for Beginners“. In both books I’ve devoted a chapter to determining the ends per inch (epi) or sett. Book #1 … Read more

A Weaver’s Stash

I got an email  from a weaver with too many books who hoped that my books were available in PDF format. When I replied that they weren’t she answered, “I think I’m probably just going to have to shuffle up some space on the bookshelves and hope my husband doesn’t notice!” Before my divorce 11 … Read more

I’m Still Teaching Weaving

Someone wrote to ask if I was giving up teaching weaving when I give up one room of my studio. I still teach privately in my weaving studio. There is still space for that. I love seeing people one-on-one. When I retired I decided a book for beginners was necessary for my good methods to … Read more

Read a review of Peggy’s book in Handwoven Magazine

Weaving for Beginners WEAVING FOR BEGINNERS: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE Peggy Osterkamp SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA: LEASE STICKS PRESS, 2010. HARDBOUND SPIRAL, 406 PAGES, $49.95. ISBN 978-0-9768855-1-1 “Whether you are learning to weave or teaching weaving, this book offers everything you need to know. Based on Osterkamp’s years of weaving and teaching using time-honored Europeanweaving techniques, Weaving for … Read more

About

Peggy Osterkamp’s special skill is making the richness of her training and experience accessible to students. In the series, Peggy Osterkamp’s New Guide to Weaving, she presents a wealth of weaving knowledge and research, much of it never available before in the United States. Once an apprentice to Jim Ahrens in a production studio, Osterkamp … Read more